Chapter 180: Cherubim: Estasia (3)

-You have acquired [Magic Sword: Kerios].

-You have acquired [Holy Relic: Ezier’s Pendulum].

-You have acquired [Spellbook: Meteor Strike].

-You have acquired [Spellbook: Tempest].

-You have acquired [Spellbook: Lightning Storm].

I didn’t know how much time had passed since I started the 10 gacha.

In front of the numerous trials, probability was not a big threat.

As the accumulated gacha count exceeded 1,000, decent items started to come out continuously.

Of course, it was not very fun to just keep pressing the gacha button.

If I still thought it was a simple game, maybe. But now I knew what these items were for.

It was hard to enjoy gacha with a pure heart even though I knew everything.

“I’ve pressed a lot, but I still haven’t used up all the money.”

My finger started to hurt from tapping the screen repeatedly.

Pressing the gacha button was not a big problem, but the problem was pressing the screen continuously to skip the animation.

I felt like I would get stressed if I kept looking at the screen, so I decided to stop gacha for now.

Besides, Estasia had woken up from her sleep and came out of the room.

“Master…?”

Estasia rubbed her eyes and came out of the room.

She saw me holding a smartphone and spoke.

Estasia, who had been living on strawberries from the cult, had no chance of knowing about the modern gadget called smartphone.

She had no clue what I was doing from her perspective.

I put the smartphone in my pocket and walked towards Estasia who came out of the entrance.

“It’s cold, let’s go inside. And take off your shoes when you come in.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s the rule here.”

“Yes.”

Estasia flapped her wings slightly and turned back to the room.

She didn’t forget to take off her slippers as she entered the entrance.

I followed her and entered the room where the light was on.

The scenery that greeted me was completely different from what I saw in the hallway.

“It feels a bit different.”

When I went out to the hallway and came back to the sanctuary, I felt strangely energetic.

Some unknown power was infusing my body with strong vitality.

It might have something to do with the power of god that Estel told me about.

I stretched out my hand and shook it in the air. I felt something indescribable brushing past my fingers.

I didn’t think I could unleash an amazing ability right now, but I needed to keep studying it over time.

“Master.”

Estasia, who had been watching me from a distance while I was lost in thought about the sanctuary, lifted her head.

She looked at me with an expression that seemed to have something to say.

Considering that she was waiting for me in the hallway earlier, she probably had something urgent to tell me.

I couldn’t ignore it if it was something important.

I walked towards Estasia and asked her what she wanted.

“What is it? Do you have something important to say?”

“I’m hungry.”

Gurgle.

A sound came from Estasia’s stomach as she finished speaking.

I looked at her blankly for a moment and then remembered that it had been quite a long time since we had our last meal.

I was also quite hungry as I looked at Estasia.

Eating was definitely a major issue for us.

“It’s about time we get hungry.”

I naturally headed towards the ramen boxes in the corner.

There were stacks of ramen boxes that looked new in the corner of the room.

Unlike the broken boxes that I saw before the sanctuary was activated, the ramen boxes in front of me looked like freshly produced products.

Squeak.

I opened a box and took out a ramen package.

The expiration date on the package still had some time left.

“The expiration date is still valid… Is this also the power of the sanctuary?”

It was impossible for any product with a valid expiration date to exist in this world logically.

Something must have overwritten the letters on the outside with some kind of power.

I took out a ramen package with a valid expiration date and looked at Estasia.

“Estasia. The expiration date is still valid, so let’s boil this for now…”

“…”

“Oh.”

As I tried to hand her the package and tell her to boil the ramen, I realized something and stopped my hand.

There was no way Estasia knew how to boil ramen.

It was impossible to order her to cook for me.

I looked at Estasia who was standing still and made a awkward face. Then I went out to the hallway with the ramen package in my hand.

“I guess you can’t help… me.”

Maybe I could teach her how to use the faucet and the gas stove, and then ask her to cook for me.

I thought about it for a moment, but then shook my head and dismissed it from my mind.

It didn’t seem possible no matter how much I thought about it.

It would be better for me to do it myself.

I gave up on the idea of having her do the housework and looked at the ramen package that I brought outside of the sanctuary.

“Hmm…”

As soon as I brought the ramen package outside of the sanctuary, its condition changed in an instant.

The package in my hand was covered with dust and the expiration date on it had changed.

The ramen package that was fine turned into something that suited the ruined world.

I examined the package in my hand and then brought it back to the sanctuary.

“Maybe it will change back when I go inside?”

The TV and the lights that had lost their function also worked normally inside the sanctuary.

Even if they were broken outside, they might change back to their original function when they entered the sanctuary.

That’s why I thought of bringing back the items that I had taken out of the sanctuary.

As I stepped inside the sanctuary, another change occurred on the ramen package.

“What is this…”

The ramen package turned back into a smooth one, just like before it was taken out of the sanctuary.

The expiration date at the bottom also didn’t differ much from before.

This meant one thing.

If you bring rotten processed food into the sanctuary, it will turn into an edible state.

Various foods that were found in the city could perform their roles here.

It was a very helpful information for us who needed food.

“…Estasia.”

After finding out that things from outside would revert back to their original state when brought into the sanctuary, I immediately called Estasia’s name.

Estasia, who was wandering around barefoot in her room, lifted her head and looked at me when she heard my call.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go outside for a bit.”

I thought I could find some food for the two of us if I searched the city.

Maybe I would even stumble upon something that could serve as a dessert.

Of course, there might be some unpleasant things along the way, but that was the price of exploration.

Besides, it was not a difficult task to move some stuff around. It did not require any special skills.

Even Estasia, who had no knowledge of the modern world, could be of some help.

With that in mind, I ordered Estasia to follow me. She looked at me with a blank expression and said,

“I don’t want to…”

She gave me a sharp answer.

It was a clear refusal.

Well, figures.

She was not the type to work diligently.

I stared at her for a moment, then spoke in a cold voice.

“Then starve.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Starve.”

“Angels die if they don’t eat.”

“People die if they starve too.”

“…”

“I’ll go outside.”

She finally gave in when I was firm.

I then started to look for a decent coat to wear.

The weather outside was chilly.

It would be better to dress warmly to avoid catching a cold.

“Achoo!”

“…”

Maybe I should also find a coat for her.

Probably.

***

In a splendid mansion on the island,

the Count Colt frowned as he looked at the invitation he received.

The invitation in his hand had the name of the second prince, Aicliffe, and a polite message inviting him to a party.

It was Aicliffe’s way of confirming the Count’s acceptance that he had sent a few weeks ago.

But there was a big difference between the Count then and the Count now.

After his son was attacked by bandits on his way to his bride’s house, the Count’s body had undergone a drastic change.

“Are you alright?”

“Cough…”

His skin turned red as soon as it touched the sunlight.

And the reddened skin caused him severe itching.

He would have gone out for his schedule if it were normal, but now it was impossible for him to walk around outside.

It was too much of a burden for him to move under the sun.

“Wouldn’t it be better to decline the invitation for your health’s sake?”

Scorlaus asked as he watched the Count groan in pain.

It was an invitation from Aicliffe, who was almost an enemy of the Count.

If it were an ordinary situation, no one would gossip if the Count rejected his proposal.

But the Count shook his head and denied Scorlaus’s suggestion.

He thought that this was the time when he had to show up at the party.

“I will attend the party.”

“But…!”

“I have been staying at home for over a week. If I miss this party too, people will surely doubt my health.”

He couldn’t afford to skip the party he had promised to attend after being confined to his mansion for so long.

He was a great lord of the north.

He could not show any weakness to his enemies who were sharpening their fangs to tear him apart.

“Besides, the timing is not bad.”

The Count Colt said as he looked at the date written on the invitation.

The party would start when the sun was setting.

They wouldn’t make a fuss over him being a little late.

And if he entered the party hall after the sun had set, there would be no major problem with his body.

It was a good place to show his well-being to the island.

“Alright. I will follow your wishes and order the servants accordingly.”

The butler bowed his head and said in response to the Count’s decision to attend the party.

Nod.

The Count nodded to the butler and sat down on a chair, sighing.

“Phew…”

The butler. And the escort knight.

These two were the only ones who knew the Count’s condition in the mansion.

He only showed his frailty in front of these two.

The Count groaned in pain as his body stiffened, and asked Scorlaus, who was standing behind him.

“Scorlaus, how is the thing I ordered you earlier?”

“I have sent out the shadow knights to look for renowned doctors, but it seems that we need more time.”

“I see…”

He had tried to find doctors who could diagnose his illness through Scorlaus, but that was not easy either.

Scorlaus offered him some words of consolation as he saw the Count’s disappointed expression.

“Don’t worry. I will find out the cause no matter what.”

“You better. You have to.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Otherwise, this damned body will hold me back…”

He couldn’t afford to stay idle for too long.

He had to find a cure for his symptoms and return as soon as possible.

The wild wolves were never merciful.

They wouldn’t wait for their wounded prey to recover.

The nobles on the island were no different.

The moment the Count’s weakness was exposed, they would rush to tear his flesh apart.